Seferian Design Group undoes years of additions and urban encroachment at a historic green space. 
By Zach Mortice
Waterloo Park’s new approach to Silver Lake brings visitors to the water with a terraced fountain and a sloping, accessible path. Image by McNeil Photography.
Smith says there?s approximately 25 percent less hardscape than previously. A thin line of bioswales on the southern edge of the new parking lot, planted with red oak, aster, and milkweed, further softens the remaining hardscape. Another part of deurbanizing the park was clearing the lake itself of the city?s detritus. The park restoration added a sediment forebay to filter out accumulated matter and removed piles of sediment that were peeking above the surface. To balance active uses on the lake?s north end, the southern edge is more naturalized, planted with dogwood, serviceberry, and sumac and lined with a riprap shore and boardwalk. The park restoration was completed in June 2023, and since then, it?s regained some of the pastoral calm that expanses of concrete had formerly blotted out. ?It really doesn?t matter how busy it is or what time of day it is,? Sangster says. ?There?s a sense of peace that comes over you when you?re visiting the shoreline.?The post Decluttering The Park first appeared on Landscape Architecture Magazine.

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